The Reluctant Hero. Lenora Worth

      If Derek Kane thought a mere kiss would scare off Stephanie Maguire, he was wrong. Very wrong.

      He didn’t need to know that kiss had made her stop and ponder more than once. In fact, thoughts of Derek had disrupted her work all day long. The kiss hadn’t caused her to back off, however. On the contrary, it had only made her want to get to know him even better.

      And she would find a way to do that. Soon.

      Just as soon as she figured out how to win over a man who obviously didn’t trust reporters. A man who’d been desperate enough to kiss her just to get rid of her.

      She’d keep looking, keep searching, until she found out what was up with Derek Kane.

      And in the meantime, she’d put that kiss right out of her head!

      LENORA WORTH

      grew up in a small Georgia town and decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to be a writer. But first she married her high school sweetheart, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Taking care of their baby daughter at home while her husband worked at night, Lenora discovered the world of romance novels and knew that’s what she wanted to write. And so she began.

      A few years later, the family settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Lenora continued to write while working as a marketing assistant. After the birth of her second child, a boy, she decided to pursue her dream full-time. In 1993, Lenora’s hard work and determination finally paid off with that first sale.

      “I never gave up, and I believe my faith in God helped get me through the rough times when I doubted myself,” Lenora says. “Each time I start a new book, I say a prayer, asking God to give me the strength and direction to put the words to paper. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be a part of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired line, where I can combine my faith in God with my love of romance. It’s the best combination.”

      The Reluctant Hero

      Lenora Worth

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Love…your neighbor as yourself.

      —Luke 10:27

      To my niece Stephanie—

      with love always

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Epilogue

      Letter to Reader

      Chapter One

      She was bored to tears.

      Stephanie Maguire glanced up at the man sitting across from her in the posh confines of one of downtown Atlanta’s best restaurants, and wondered when she’d learn to just say no to blind dates.

      But this one had seemed so promising. Her best friend and the producer of Atlanta’s WNT Nightly News, Claire Cook, had promised Stephanie she wouldn’t be disappointed this time.

      “He’s tall, dark and handsome,” Claire had told her. “And…he has a good job at one of Atlanta’s hottest real estate firms. He sells property to the rich and famous. And he’s pretty well off himself. I think you’ll really like him.”

      So far, Stephanie hadn’t seen too much to like. Jonathan Delmore was so self-involved that he hadn’t even bothered to ask Stephanie about her own philosophy on life, or anything else regarding her life, for that matter. Why, he’d barely let her order her own food, let alone get a word in during the one-sided conversation.

      So here she sat, bored and on the verge of a massive migraine, listening to Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome—and didn’t he know it—go on and on about being the top salesperson at Garrett and Garrett Realtors. If he told her one more time that he’d practically single-handedly resold every overpriced square foot of commercial property in fashionable Dunwoody to some of the richest people in Atlanta, she was going to throw her pasta primavera right in his clean-shaven face.

      “So I’m definitely up for the one-million in sales per quarter award,” Jonathan told her, his smile so full of self-gratification, Stephanie wondered if he even knew she was sitting across the table from him.

      “That’s so exciting,” she replied, glad he’d let her speak at last. “But then, our work keeps us focused, don’t you think—”

      “That’s the key—staying focused.” Jonathan said, bobbing his head as he lifted his hands together to form a make-believe lens. Looking at Stephanie through the lens of his lily-white hands, he said, “And I am so good at that. It takes intense discipline—have to keep your eye on the prize.” With this, he dropped his hands in a dramatic flourish and stared at her, his brown eyes boring into her as if to put her into a trance. “Focus—that’s what’s earned me—”

      “Wow, look at the time!” Stephanie held up her left hand, squinting at her bracelet watch. “I’ve got to get back to the station to do an edit on a story. I’m sorry to cut our evening short, Jonathan.”

      Confused, Jonathan stood, watching as she grabbed her purse. “Oh, too bad. And we were having so much fun. How ’bout I drive you to the station, so we can continue our conversation, get to know each other a little better?”

      Through a haze of indignation Stephanie managed a polite smile. She did not want to get to know this man any more at all. “Really, you don’t have to bother giving me a ride. I’ll just grab a cab.”

      But Jonathan, at least, was a gentleman. “Well, let me walk you out,” he said. “And I need to get your home number, so we can schedule another dinner without me having to track you down at work. How about next Friday?”

      Stephanie brushed a lock of brown hair off her shoulder, then shrugged. “I’ll have to check my book. Reporters have crazy hours, you know.”

      “Really?” Grinning smugly, he added, “I wouldn’t have guessed, considering it took me two weeks to finally get you on the phone. Well, you know what they say—all work and no play—”

      “Gets the bills paid,” she finished for him. “My work is just as important to me as yours seems to be to you. And I’m certainly just as focused.”

      Thinking her mother would scold her for being so blunt and sarcastic, Stephanie said a little prayer for patience. She’d been raised by the Golden Rule, and while she did try to do what was right and treat others as she expected to be treated, sometimes she lost all decorum and, without thinking, let loose with her true feelings. This character flaw hadn’t won her many friends, but the friends she did have understood when to back off and leave her alone.

      Jonathan didn’t know her well enough to do that, though. She’d have to remember that and tamp down the need to tell him exactly what she thought about him.

      Jonathan hurriedly paid the tab, then turned back to her, obviously missing her little stab at his over-inflated opinion of himself. “Absolutely. Staying focused, staying on top of the game, that’s what success is all about. In fact, I was just telling one of our junior Realtors the other day—”

      “I